Spiritual Twins
by mmooch
Summary: What should have been the night of episode 1.15 Christopher Returns. JavaJunkie all the way. Hate Christopher! AU of course. **Massive editing Feb 11, 2012**
1. Chapter 1: Fallout

**Spiritual Twins**

Summary: What should have been the night of episode 1.15 _'Christopher Returns'_. JavaJunkie all the way. Hate Christopher! AU of course.

Setting of the scene: A very brief and disastrous gathering between Lorelai's parents and Christopher's parents, both sets of Rory's grandparents, turns ugly and vicious when Straub verbally attacks Lorelai and Rory for ruining Christopher's future. After Richard throws them out, he rebuffs Lorelai's gratefulness for defending her saying he was only defending the family's name. Heartbroken, she escapes to the one place in her parents' house that ever offered her safety and solitude. After she's cried a little, Christopher comes out to join her…

A/N: Revised from earlier version and a second time based on a review.

Disclaimer: Own nothing but my stuffed duckie cushion. They belong to WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

**Chapter 1: Fallout**

**Gilmore Mansion**

Chris is sitting in the living room alone thinking over the events of the evening. What a disaster this was! But it wasn't really a surprise that it would end badly…to anyone, except maybe Emily, who had on these rose-colored glasses that they could finally merge the two families together.

_**'Damn, I can't believe tonight! Not only do I have to see Richard & Emily, but also had to face my parents. Not that they aren't impossible, but why did Lorelai have to provoke my dad with that comment about Bush? Did she really have to go and push those buttons? She had to know that it couldn't possibly turn out good…'**_

He ran his hand through his hair ruefully, _**'Granted, it's hard to believe that he would say those things about her and Rory but I suppose he's still disappointed that I didn't measure up to his vision of an ideal son,' **_he justified his father's actions.

Then he got an idea of how to turn the night around. He went to the bar and looked for the bottle he wanted. _**'There's nothing that I can do about that, but maybe I can make things up with Lorelai. We've always had our best moments with 'Jose Cuervo' so I'll just bring a bottle and go find her. With how upset she must feel she's probably out on her balcony. That was always her safe spot.' **_

* * *

**Meanwhile on the balcony…**

Lorelai was busy wiping the tears away from her eyes. She was torn between hurt and fury. And right now she was leaning towards the latter.

_**'Man, tonight sucked! I mean Friday Night Dinner is never something to look forward to, but this could be listed as a potential form of torture.' **_

She snorted in disgust, _**'It's not really a surprise considering how the conversation went when they found out about the pregnancy, but still…Given how great Rory has turned out, you'd think they would show **_**some**_** interest in getting to know her.' **_She shook her head at how hateful the man had been. She obviously was right not to marry into _that_family.

_**'And that crap about ruining Chris' future – yeah, right! He managed to screw that up on his own. Now if we had gotten married, then they might, just **_**might**_**, have a point. But we didn't and he was free to do whatever the hell he wanted to. So guess what, **_**he**_** screwed up his future all on his own. The only difference is that he didn't take us down with him. Thank goodness.' **_she breathed a sigh of relief. They really were much better off this way.

She hugged her arms around her as if to ward off the attack from earlier. _**'And of course there's my good old dad…I really thought that he was finally backing me upon something. But, of course, that would be asking too much. **_**Again**_** it is only the 'Gilmore Name' that needs to be spared disgrace. Not his only daughter, no not her!' **_

Stopping for a minute, she allowed, _**'Okay, I didn't know how hard they took it when I left, but then again, how could I have? It's not like they ever made that clear or tried to make things easier when I did contact them. If they were really **_**that**_** shaken up, you'd think that they might try to be kinder to us so it wouldn't happen again!' **_she concluded decisively.

She shook off her feelings of self-pity and turned her mind towards her daughter. _**'Shoot, I should have gone to Rory before now. She's got to be pretty upset by all this. I'll make sure that she knows that Straub and Francine are complete and utter morons who don't deserve her and that their opinions mean absolutely nothing. Less than nothing. Minus nothing!' **_

She made a move to go inside, only to run into Christopher coming out. _**'Crap, what does he want…?' **_

* * *

"You look great," he smirked charmingly at her.

"Yeah, well, I look the way I feel, wise guy." She gave a half laugh, mentally groaning at his attempt at flirting. She was still angry that he hadn't stood up to his father for his own daughter.

He shook off her less than welcoming response. "The old balcony's still the same, isn't it?" he led, nudging her down memory lane, willing her into a more receptive mood.

"In all of its beautiful away-from-them-ness," she allowed.

"Perfect hideout, totally private, we spent a lot of time out here," he teased, pushing just a little more.

"Sneaking Dad's telescope, scanning the skies for alien ships." She chanced a glance at him, not liking the half leering way he stared at her.

"Never found any," he continued before bringing out the big gun. He figured that the tequila would help loosen her up.

She saw the liquor and thought that was just what she needed to numb away the reminders of the night. "Huh...holding out on me?" She shuddered at her utter stupidity when she was younger and vowed that it wouldn't happen again, even if it did have _one_good result.

He smiled in victory. "Take it. And in an effort to further chronicle this balcony's history, we are now in the immediate vicinity of the spot upon which was Rory's initial emanation," he toasted.

"Yes we are. Here's to Rory," she shot back, silently laughing at his choice of words. **''Emanation'**_**? You're kidding, right?'**_

"The bright spot in all the darkness," he added for good measure.

"And how..." Lorelai agreed, this time whole-heartedly. Knowing that without Rory, she may never have escaped this life and its less-than-loving families.

"You know, even if you hadn't gotten pregnant and everything had gone as planned I still would've never made it through Princeton," Christopher admitted, sort of believing it.

"Oh Chris, I don't believe that," she encouraged, but _not_really believing it since he never showed any signs of maturing. Other than physically, that is.

"Ahhh, yeah. That's why you're you and I'm not," he flattered, pouring it on. He felt her pulling away, so he scrambled for a way to draw her attention.

Except she was thinking, _**'And that's why Rory actually has a shot of becoming someone other than a DAR trophy wife. And by the way, quit looking into my eyes. You can't possibly think that I'm in a romantic mood now of all times! Oh great, now you have to grab my hand. Ugh. When will this night end?'**_she pleaded in her mind.

"I remember how sexy you looked when you would paint your nails," he said, stroking her hand, pulling her toward him.

She inwardly shook her head in disbelief. He really did think that _now_was a good time to get in her pants. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized what he said and what it reminded her of. "Oh my gosh, painting!"

She berated herself, _**'I can't believe I almost forgot about Luke. He's going to be so ticked! I hope he's still up…and in a forgiving mood!'**_she prayed to herself.

"What?" he exclaimed in confusion. He didn't like the turn this conversation was taking. Or the way her eyes kept stealing to her watch as if she were late for a date. His eyes narrowed in jealousy at the idea.

"I almost forgot...I promised Luke that I'd help him paint his diner tonight. Crap, I'm late!" she explained as she raced for the window. She ran over her option in her mind and settled on just showing up, ready to paint and hope that it would show him that she did care.

* * *

Lorelai rushed back into the house with a frustrated Chris following, wondering who this 'Luke' guy is and why she was worrying about him.

As they got downstairs, Lorelai started yelling for Rory, "Rory! Where are you?" She fretted, biting her lower lip in agitation, needing to leave right away.

Rory hurried out of kitchen. "What's your damage, Heather?" she retorted with a sudden frown. She didn't like her mom's anxiety or her dad's strange look; she wondered what happened while they were upstairs.

Lorelai grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the front door. "We have to get going... _now_! I was supposed to be at Luke's a half hour ago!" she also shouted even though they were in the same room now.

Emily sniffed disdainfully, "The Iceman? What on earth could you possibly have to do with him? Christopher's right here; you should be concentrating on him." She ranted silently that her daughter was screwing things up again.

Lorelai clenched her hands to keep from slapping her mother, instead choosing to answer, "Mom! I'm helping him paint his diner, not eloping with him. By the way, I'm not going to get into a discussion with you _ever_about who I should or shouldn't marry, so drop it!

Christopher suddenly looked nervous, realizing that Lorelai was avoiding the topic of if she liked this guy. He knew he needed help getting her back but was unsure how helpful Emily would be in that.

Rory knew that she had to get her mom out before she totally lost it, which might only be seconds away. "We should get going, Grandma. Thanks for the food and the talk." She hugged Emily and whispered, "It meant a lot to me."

Then she turned away to hide her hidden belief that even if her grandma loved her now, she was still upset about the situation. And it hurt that she might have been unwanted, even for a minute. The people in her life now – in Stars Hollow – managed to make her believe that that was never the case.

* * *

As Lorelai sped back to Stars Hollow, she tried to find out what happened with Rory that evening after she sent her to the kitchen. "What was that about a 'talk'?" she probed carefully.

Rory shrugged casually, "Nothing, Grandma was just saying that even though Straub & Francine were saying those nasty things, it didn't make them true. That neither me nor my existence was a disappointment."

Lorelai recognized the look on her daughter's face in the rearview mirror. "I never thought I'd agree with my mother, but that's true. Those angry words were meant for me, not you. Me and your dad have _no_regrets about you!" she stated vehemently, shooting a look at him.

Realizing that Lorelai expected his input, Christopher confirmed, "That's right, kiddo."

* * *

When they get home, Lorelai ran into the house and changed into old, grungy clothes. She hugged Rory and promised to be there if she wanted to talk some more. Because she knew how important this was to her mom and Luke, Rory assured her that she was fine and would see her in the morning.

Lorelai yelled a distracted good night to Chris as she sprinted out to _Luke's_, forgetting to take the Jeep in her haste. A minute later, she's standing outside a dark diner. When her knocking doesn't get his attention right away, she started yelling for Luke. His apartment lights turned on and he looked out the window at her, then headed down to let her in. He stood in the doorway with clear hurt and disappointment showing in his eyes.

_**'Oh crap, he **_**is**_** upset. Well, he should be, but I hope he'll be willing to forgive me…'**_ she thought as she prepared her apology.

* * *

Next…Forgive me?


	2. Chapter 2: Forgive Me?

**Chapter 2: Forgive Me?**

Recap: Last chapter was Chris' & Lorelai's POV of what happened on her parents' balcony and the drive back to Stars Hollow. In my opinion, his appearance in Stars Hollow was with the intention of getting back with Lorelai…or at least into her pants.

A/N: Edited due to a reviewer.

Disclaimer: The Gilmore Girls characters belong to WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

* * *

**Luke's Diner**

Lorelai stood there, out of breath, and looking at him hopefully. "I'm a rat! I forgot our date. I'm sorry, but can we still do it?" Pleading with her eyes and hoping that he could see just how sorry she was.

He was irritated but backed up to let her in. "It wasn't a date, it was just painting. Did something come up…someone?" Thinking to himself that he wouldn't be lucky enough for this to have been a date. He steeled himself for the revelation that she forgot because of _that guy_. The jerk that got her pregnant then left her and Rory alone.

Lorelai started pacing the room, building into a Luke-sized rant – and then some. "My certifiably crazy mother decided it would be a great idea to have Christopher's parents over for a big happy family dinner!"

Luke began to feel very jealous of the idea of the 'happy family' comment. _**'Oh crap, she's going to be with him. I can't believe it! Why-' **_his thoughts were interrupted by her next words.

"…But she seemed to forget one giant flaw in her plan - his parents are monsters who want _nothing_ to do with Rory! Before I could send her out of the room, they proceeded to tell her that to her face! Then Straub turns on me and blames me for the mess Christopher has made of his life! Like I had anything to do with it! _He_ was able to graduate! _He_ was able to go to college! _He_was able to make any number of decisions based on him and his needs only! Then my dad grabs Straub and practically throws him out of the house!"

Now he went _beyond_ enraged, wishing for the man to be in front of him so he could take his anger out on him. _**'What kind of sadistic tyrant would treat his own granddaughter that way? Good for Mr. Gilmore for tossing him out!' **_he congratulated the man.

She took a deep breath and calmed down...slightly. "…Naturally, I go to thank him for defending me. And he snaps that it wasn't for me, but for the precious 'Gilmore Name'!"

Luke winced at her pain. _**'So much for being impressed with him, that lasted a whole 10 seconds. Can't he see that she is someone to be proud to have in his family?' **_he railed privately.

"…So I went to the only place in the house I ever felt good in that house, my balcony. After I cried a little, Christopher steps out to join me. We tried to joke what happened and cheer each other up with stories from when we were kids. But I don't know...there was some weird vibe I was getting from him, especially when he pulled out the tequila. It almost seemed like he wanted to repeat Rory's conception."

Luke got that jealous feeling again. He pleaded silently, **'Please**_** don't tell me this; I don't want to hear about you and **_**him**_** having sex again. Besides, how could he think of that after the night you and Rory had to endure? He should have been comforting the **_**two**_** of you instead of trying to seduce you,' **_he thought with disgust.

She echoed his sentiments, "…But that can't be it, could it? Because what kind of lowlife would use the events of tonight to try to have sex? _Then_he said that I wasn't to blame for his not meeting his father's expectations. Well, no duh!"

Her rant began again, "You know, I've tried to be nice, but Christopher is a perpetual child! Hell, Rory's more mature than him!" She sighed slowly, "But, he is Rory's father and I have to make sure that he isn't diminished in her eyes – at least until she's old enough to come to that conclusion strictly on her own, even if that means occasionally playing cheerleader for him. In my opinion though, I think he's a hopeless cause. I mean, if he hasn't grown up before his own kid has, what are his chances really?"

Luke let the breath out that he was holding. _**'Oh thank god. You don't want him. It would be bad enough if he was **_**worthy**_** of you, but he is so clearly not worth a moment of your or Rory's time or affection. Heck, he doesn't sound worthy to breathe the same **_**air**_** as you two,' **_he declared in his heart.

Lorelai didn't see the whirlwind of emotions because of her pacing and ranting. She turned and looked pleadingly at him. "I am _so_sorry; please let me make this up to you. I never meant to hurt you." Her voice edged into the hysterical, "Your friendship means too much to me to have done anything to ruin it. Please say you'll forgive me!"

The thought rocked her, she hadn't realized before how much he meant to her. The thought of hurting him or losing him felt like a blow to the stomach. It was then that she saw that he was her best friend, except for her daughter and Sookie. And that made her imagine something more…something romantic. She trailed off at the new – and not so new – way of looking at him.

Luke gently grabbed her arms to calm her down. "Lorelai, stop...listen, it's alright. After what you went through this evening, I'm kind of surprised that you even still feel up to doing this tonight. Thank you for coming, but I get it if you need to re-schedule this for another night. You should to go home and get some rest. Or talk to Rory about this." He pulled her into a hug, and she placed her hands on his chest, resting them there.

Lorelai lingered for a bit before leaning back. "No, this would actually help me with all my pent up frustrations. She's okay, we talked on the way home and she knows that Christopher's parents are just losers who don't deserve to know her. But I understand if _you're_ too tired to stay up, but could I at least stay here and work?" she asked while catching herself thinking that she _liked_being in his arms and she wanted to stay there.

Luke seemed doubtful. "If you're sure...And Rory's okay?" But inside he was shocked that she was here and not at home with her daughter, eating massive amount of junk food and cheering themselves with outrageous movies.

She smiled at him. "Yes. More than anything. And she _wanted_me to come." And added silently, that it was safer for her to stay away from Christopher right now. Otherwise she might put him in the hospital.

Luke glanced at the clock. "Okay, we've only lost about an hour or so. Did you want some coffee or something before we start?" _**'First things first…your liquid death.' **_He chuckled to himself at their routine.

Lorelai let loose a half-hearted laugh. "You know, I just realized that we never got around to eating dinner. We didn't even make it through drinks." Then she continued her comparison of the two men, seeing how caring Luke was and how selfish Christopher had been.

"Burger & fries?" he questioned, knowing the answer.

"Sounds great." She gave him a bright smile this time. He knew her better than almost anyone.

"Coffee?" Sure he knew the answer already.

"Actually, got anything stronger?" she countered, stunning him. She hoped he had something other than tequila so she wouldn't have flashbacks of earlier and the attempted seduction on the balcony.

He stared at her for a moment before answering, "There's some beer upstairs in the fridge. Grab a few for each of us."

* * *

When she came back down, she set the beers on the counter and waited for Luke to bring out her food. As she ate, he told her stories about some of the crazy things people had done that day in town to cheer her up. And of course, it worked. After the fourth story – and second Kirk story – she genuinely laughed, all her previous tension gone.

She flashed him a grateful look as she finished up. "Thanks, Luke. I feel much better: stomach, heart, and head." He always took care of her, she noticed and her mouth spread in a happy grin.

_**'Anything to get one of those beautiful smiles, they're worth anything.' **_He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "No problem. Okay, where should we start?"

She wondered why he kept trying to minimize his thoughtfulness. She decided to let it go…for now, since it seemed to bother him a little. "Well, all good painting adventures start with some music! Grab your radio and let's get some tunes going!" She jumped up, bouncing around wildly.

He bit back a laugh at her nuttiness. "Crazy lady," he tried to say reproachfully, but knowing that it was part of what made him like her so much.

* * *

A/N: Next…fun with paint.


	3. Chapter 3: Fun With Paint

**Chapter 3: Fun With Paint**

Recap: Lorelai runs to Luke to apologize for being late. When he hears why, he quickly forgives her and they get ready to paint.

A/N: Thanks to feekh for the advice. Hope you like my changes.

Disclaimer: The Gilmore Girls characters belong to WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

* * *

They worked for the next hour or so, joking and sharing stories. Basically, just enjoying each other's company and not wanting it to end.

"This is looking good already, isn't it?" She smirked at the thought of the look on Taylor's face when he saw that it looked the same, just brighter.

"Not bad," he allowed, reluctantly agreed that it was good, other than doing something Taylor wanted. He turned to look at her and chuckled at the sight.

"What?" she demanded, wondering why he was looking at her like that.

"You _do_ realize that the paint is supposed to go on the walls, not your face?" He had to resist urge to reach over and touch her face. _**'Oh my…you look so gorgeous like that! Of course, you look fantastic pretty much **_**all **_**the time.' **_

"Half of the fun of painting is to get messy!" She dipped her finger in the paint and started menacing him with it. She wanted to see if he ever loosened up and was just playful.

He growled warningly, "Lorelai...we still have a long way to go." He groaned silently at where his mind went at the thought of a paint fight with her.

"Okay…for now," she promised. She then wiped her finger on his shoulder and grinned at him when he looked back at her. "What?" She smiled at the snap of retaliation in his eyes.

* * *

They finished painting and cleaning up, then went back into the diner and collapsed on the floor.

"Whew! Finished!" He grabbed a couple of beers and joined Lorelai by the 'do not spruce' area.

"Admit it, you had fun!" she begged, becoming desperate for a sign that he enjoyed himself.

He fought the smile threatening to come out and said playfully, "Never!" But he knew that he enjoyed any time with her, even if it was just serving her coffee.

"Admit it or I get the paint!" She shook her finger at him in warning. She caught his gaze and lost herself in his eyes. Her insides were melting and then suddenly clenched at the thought of someone else getting to gaze in his eyes. She didn't even know if he was seeing anyone.

He grabbed her hand. "Fine, I admit it. I enjoyed myself," he allowed with mock unwillingness.

Then he raised her hand and kissed her fingers sweetly, knowing he was chancing her rejection, but felt it was now or never. "Thank you for making me do this. My dad would want me to care for the place, including painting. It wasn't really an issue when this was a hardware store, but now…" he trailed off, not knowing how to finish.

She tried to catch her breath and managed to get out, "I'm glad I could help. I wish I could have met him, he sounds like the dad I would have wanted." Inside she was reeling, _**'I can't breathe…He kissed my hand and I can't breathe. First, who knew that he could do something so romantic and second, a kiss on the hand leaves me breathless?'**_

He was encouraged by her not pulling away from him and continued, "Yeah, he was great. True, he had his moments when his temper got away from him, especially when Taylor would come by with some lame complaint."

She gasped, pretending to be shocked, "No! A Danes man angered by Taylor? I can't imagine!" But she couldn't stop thinking how addictive him holding her hand was.

He laughed, "I _know_ he would've loved you. You're so much like my mom. I mean, you don't _look_like her; she was a lot shorter with brown hair and hazel eyes. But you both have this...almost childlike love of life."

His eyes glazed over, caught up in the memory. "Every time she walked in the room, my dad could sense it and got this smile on his face. No matter how bad his day was going, she could always brighten his mood. She loved the craziness of the town too, and dragged us out of our shells to keep us involved."

His voice dropped, fighting his emotions, "Dad tried to keep it up after she died, but none of us had the heart for it anymore. We just went through the motions." He went on very softly, in almost a whisper, "She wouldn't like the hermit I've let myself become."

Luke looked at her with a slightly sad smile. "But she would have loved you too, though. You are her 'spiritual twin, a ray of sunshine in a rainstorm'," he quoted his dad. Now his breath caught, he just realized that their similarities were probably what drew him to her.

'He is just surprising me left and right tonight. The 'town grouch' is sweet and romantic and actually even sort of poetic…Wait, he said that his dad loved those things about his mom and that I have those same qualities. Is he trying to say…?' she gathered her thoughts before they got away with her.

Lorelai spoke softly, "Luke, she would understand your hurt and that you pulled inward, but you're right, she'd want you to experience the good things in life…friends, community, love. Any loving mom would." She put her other hand on top of his and looks deeply into his eyes, knowing that he, of all people, deserved it.

He stared intently at her, trying to read her expression. "Lorelai…" He leaned in to kiss her, praying that he wasn't making a mistake.

"Luke..." she breathed, leaning in to join him in the kiss. She was sure _she'd_have to make the first move.

Time seemed to stop for them as they got entangled in their kisses. When they managed to pull back and look into each other's eyes, they each saw the happiness and caring…Dare they say it?…Love! They sat there; he placed his arm around her shoulder and she laid her head on his chest, just enjoying the peace that being there brought them. They both had almost the exact same thought. _**'This is what love feels like.' **_Then the radio announced the time being after 3am and the spell was broken.

Lorelai reluctantly stood up. "I need to get home in case Rory needs me when she wakes up. But we'll be in for breakfast, say 10am?" Her desire to stay with him was evident.

He got up too. "Sounds perfect, I'll see you two then." Knowing that she returned his feelings made it much easier to part.

Luke walked her to the door. They shared another lingering kiss before she headed home. As she strolled away, she brushed her fingers on her lips and felt lighter than she could ever have imagined. He watched her walk away with an enormous smile and sighed deeply as she passed out of sight.

Tonight turned out to be the best night of his life. Especially considering that it started out with what he thought was her standing him up for Christopher. He had been afraid that he had lost her to _that guy_. But now, it didn't even trouble him that Christopher was at her house right now, possibly waiting for her to get back. He just thought to himself with amazement, _**'She doesn't want him, she wants me!' **_

* * *

A/N: Next…The morning after.


	4. Chapter 4: The Morning After

**Chapter 4: The Morning After**

Recap: Lorelai escapes Christopher's attempt at seduction and goes to Luke so they can paint the diner like she promised. Of course, this leads to some tenderness between our fav couple. And some kissin'!

Disclaimer: The Gilmore Girls characters belong to WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission. Conversations taken or paraphrased from 1.15 _'Christopher Returns'_.

* * *

Even though she should have been exhausted, Lorelai couldn't sleep when she got home. Her mind kept racing with thoughts of Luke. Suddenly she realized that there was something that she had to tell him and she was afraid that it could ruin things between them.

Finally she gave up on trying to sleep and went downstairs, hoping to talk to Rory about last night and then what happened later with Luke at the diner. Lorelai walked into the kitchen and Christopher was pouring a cup of coffee.

"You want some coffee?" he asked, surprised that the queen of 'I hate mornings' land was up.

"No," she snapped, annoyed that he was still there. She forgot about him while she was wrapped up in her happy Luke thoughts.

He shot her a look of astonishment and demanded, "What?" He studied her. She couldn't be this jittery from caffeine since she hadn't had any yet. Then he got a smirk on his face when he figured that the 'Diner Guy' must have done something to upset her. This meant that there was still a chance.

She couldn't believe he wouldn't just leave her alone so she could talk to Rory so she bit out in a harsh tone, "What?"

"Well, I know you well enough to know that when you say 'no' to coffee, especially in the morning, all is not right in 'Whoville'. So last night..." he encouraged, starting towards her.

"Ahhhh, last night was Chernobyl and the _Hindenburg_combined," she exclaimed, blown away that he would try to come on to her again! What is he, brain-dead?

He backed off, getting that he needed to be more cautious. "Right, just checking."

She began ranting, "My father almost hit someone. My father's probably only hit someone in college wearing boxing gloves and one of those Fred Mertz _Golden Gloves_pullover sweaters."

"Fred Mertz?" he interrupted, confused why she brought _that_up.

"_I Love Lucy_, Fred Mertz," she spit out. "My father had a meltdown, first with your dad..." She started backing up around the kitchen table to get away from this guy.

"He was asking for it," he agreed, looking for his way in and followed her around the room.

"...and then with me," she finished, mentally screaming at him to get away!

"Lor?" He tried a diversion tactic to calm her down.

"What?" she all but yelled at him. When would he get that her name was _Lorelai_, not Lor?

"I wanna marry you," he rushed out, determined to push the 'Diner Guy' out of the picture.

Lorelai breathed very deeply, mainly to stop herself from doing something stupid, like break a chair upside his head. Then she growled, "And the hits just keep on coming!"

"Just think about it before you make a rash..." he attempted, belatedly seeing that that was a bad choice of diversions.

She almost screamed, cutting him off, "You are out of your mind! You are completely insane! You have flipped your lid! Charles Manson is freaked out by you right now!" He defined a _new_level of delusional.

"Come on, we're already a family," he pushed, knowing that she hadn't been a serious relationship since him.

Lorelai was momentarily stunned, then grew extremely angry at his audacity. "Who...who's a family?" She started planning where to shove one of Babette's gnomes if he was stupid enough to include himself.

But he didn't see the warning signs and explained as if it was obvious, "Us. You, me, Rory."

The look she shot him could have frozen hell. "You don't even know what a family is," she managed to state semi-calmly. _**'Control, I need to have control because Rory needs me and I can't put her through seeing me go to jail for killing her father…' **_

"People living together," Christopher defined, thinking that was it.

"No, it's a big commitment. It's responsibility and hard work. It's coming home at the same time to the same people _every_day." She feared for Rory, knowing that half of her genes came from him. She imagined her being like him: shacking up with some society guy or getting arrested for stealing somebody's boat or something.*

"I can be a family man. I'm responsible now," he vowed, hoping she wouldn't ask for proof of that though.

"Honey. You can't even buy a book without having your credit card declined," she shot back, figuring that he wouldn't know how small towns work.

"Oh man! I told Rory not to rat me out. I can't believe she did that," he whined, upset that she would betray him, her own dad.

Lorelai rolled her eyes at his childish behavior. "She didn't. Andrew from the bookstore called, and Jackson and the UPS guy and, oh, it was the lead story on the Stars Hollow Web Page and then I asked Rory and she reluctantly confirmed it. 'Rat me out' what are you, 6?" She was pissed at him for doing that to Rory in the first place.

"I'm sorry," he half-heartedly apologized while ranting in his head about the Stars Hollow busybodies.

"And what are you doing, telling my daughter to lie to me anyway?" she demanded furiously.

"She's my daughter too," Christopher threw back at her with a pout.

She snorted, "More like your playmate." Privately correcting, _**'More like sperm donor.' **_

He lost his temper finally and yelled back, "You know, I don't deserve that! I'm as mature as you!"

She shook her head, needing to get away from him. "I don't want to talk about this anymore!"

"Look, I'm the immature one and I'm the irresponsible one! I was the one willing to get married when you got pregnant!" he snarled.

"We were too young and we wouldn't have made it. You know it," she insisted even though part of her wished they had so they'd be done with each other by now.

He gloated, knowing he had her now, "Well, we're not too young now."

She stared at him as if he had grown a second and third head. "Okay, _now_I need some coffee. We can't get married, Christopher. We don't even know each other as adults."

"Let's get married and get to know each other," he suggested rationally.

She smirked at him and asked, "How's your business _really_doing?"

He chuckled unsteadily. _**'Damn, she could always read me!' **_

"Lorelai..." he tried.

"I knew it," she announced triumphantly.

"Look, I was gonna tell you if it didn't pick up soon, I swear," he lied, knowing that it never would have happened.

She glared at him. "And you just sat there last night, just smiling and nodding...while my dad and your dad went on and on about _'Christopher and his great, big business success in California!' _" She wished that he wasn't Rory's father for the hundredth time that morning.

He offered the excuse, "I didn't wanna upset anybody. I wanted last night to be nice."

"Oh, well. It was," she ground out sarcastically.

He snipped, "It would've been much better if I would've announce to the table: "Hey, on top of everything else you're upset about, I just wanna add that I'm the biggest loser in the world." Wouldn't that have been festive?" he finished, knowing that she could leap to his defense.

She sighed, "You're not a loser."

"Thank you." He breathed a sigh of relief, glad to get back to neutral ground.

"You're welcome." She really wanted this conversation over with.

"Come on, we're arguing like an old married couple. Doesn't that show potential?" he begged, showing her his best 'puppy dog' face.

"Oh Christopher, I swear to god..." She ran her hands through her hair in frustration, wishing he really was a dog so she could put him down.**

He kept trying to persuade her, "I've been looking for the 'One', Lor. That elusive soul mate. I really have. I just believe it's you. It's always been you." Then he whined, "Besides, Rory might be my only child."

She scoffed at that, "That's not true. If Tony Randall can crank one out in his 70s, you have decades left to spawn." Praying that it would be far from her.

"No, I don't know how much I miss Rory until I see her like this. It's-it's easier staying away." He looked down, playing the 'distant dad' card.

She sighed in resignation before reassuring, "No, don't stay away...don't...Rory needs her dad."

"Or her pal, right?" he murmured, self-deprecatingly.

"I think she'd take a combo," she suggested. But she knew that Rory wouldn't get the first from him, only the second.

"Lor, you know this is right. We are her parents and the three of us are best together. We _all_want us to be a family," he pushed, hoping that she'd at least do it for Rory.

By this time, Lorelai was fed up. "Actually, _we_don't all want us to be a family. You may say it because it is the easy solution, but deep down you know the responsibility of a family freaks you out. As for Rory, yes I believe that she'd love for you to be her dad and maybe she even would like it if we were a family. But she's a smart kid and is old enough that trying to fool her with this 'happy family' crap wouldn't work."

"We _would _be happy…" he promised.

"No, we wouldn't!" she insisted.

"Sure we would. We love each other," he proclaimed, sure of his position.

"But that's just it…I don't. You were my first…boyfriend _and_lover, and for those reasons you will always have a special place in my heart. Because of Rory, we will always be connected…"

"See…" he interjected, knowing that a kid was as good as superglue.

She clenched her hands in frustration, yelling, "Stop! We'll be connected, but not in love. You have to understand the difference! Now, just because I will let you be in Rory's life as much as you want, does not mean that the same goes for me. I mean it; I am _off limits_to you. You get it?" She was seriously beginning to consider having Luke beat him up to get rid of him.

"You're kidding! We can't _ever_try again?" he questioned, thinking he'd just let her calm down.

"No, we can't. Please don't press the issue because it wouldn't be good for any of us," she warned, thinking, _**'Or if Luke won't do it, maybe I could get the rest of the town to.' **_

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "What do you mean by that?"

She told him directly so that he wouldn't have any doubt, "That if you keep trying, I will have to ensure that we - you and me - are no longer in personal contact. Your contact with Rory will have to be just with her. You wouldn't be able to stay in _this_house on your 'visits' and…" she broke off and pleaded, "Just don't make it necessary to do anything, please. I don't want it to be awkward and stressful for Rory. I don't want her to feel like she's in the middle and has to choose a side."

"But Lor…" Christopher wouldn't let it go.

She fixed her gaze on him and asked with a threat in her voice, "We want what's best for her, _right_?"

His shoulders slumped in defeat. "Okay, I guess I'm going to take off then."

"You can stay and spend time with Rory," she encouraged but knew he wouldn't.

He shook his head, "No, right now I have to get my mind around all this. Is this because of another guy? Like the 'Diner Guy'?"

"No it's not. Christopher, if it weren't for Rory, you and I would have gone our separate ways years ago. We were never meant to be forever. You know that. I think the reason you fight it is because we are safe for you. We represent stability that you _occasionally_ desire…nothing more," She tried to get him to understand. _**'Granted, seeing how a true man like Luke acts responsibly helped put you into better perspective,' **_she privately confirmed.

A short time later, Lorelai and Rory watched Christopher take off on his motorcycle.

* * *

A/N: *sorry, had to do it:)

A/N2: ** I apologize to the animal lovers out there, but couldn't resist the temptation.

A/N3: Next…Rory's thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5: Rory

**Chapter 5: Rory's Thoughts**

Recap: Chris and Lorelai have their great 'let's get married' fight and FINALLY, FINALLY the shmuck leaves! Happy dance!

A/N: I admit freely that Rory will be OOC. But she's a smart girl, so I think this is better.

Disclaimer: The Gilmore Girls characters belong to WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission. Conversations taken or paraphrased from 1.15 _'Christopher Returns'_.

* * *

_Previously…_

She almost screamed, cutting him off, "You are out of your mind! You are completely insane! You have flipped your lid! Charles Manson is freaked out by you right now!"

The muffled voices had started to wake up Rory. She fell into a fitful sleep the previous night and wanted to get a few more hours in before heading out.

* * *

**Rory's POV**

…Whoa, what was that? Who's Mom screaming at? Of course…Dad. I wonder what he did this time to tick her off. So I'm guessing from that voice that this isn't going to be one of those _'let's try to be a happy family'_visits. Course, given how fast those visits last, it might be getter to get this over with fast.

What did Dad just say about being a 'responsible family man'? He's got to be joking! He shows up every couple years, _pretending_to want to get to know me better when all he's trying to do is score points with Mom again. And when she doesn't fall into bed with him, his attention span for us drops to like 5 seconds.

That's right; blame _me_for Mom finding out about the book. Like it happening wasn't bad enough, but then to have me evade her questions about it. 'Great parenting there 'Dad', manipulate your child into lying to their other parent. Dr. Spock would be sooo proud.'

'Playmate'…actually just a sperm donor. Even most of the guys around Stars Hollow are more of a 'Dad' to me then _that_guy. Andrew is my 'book' dad, Taylor is my 'annoying' dad, Kirk is my 'weird and disturbing' dad, Jackson is my 'vegetable' dad, and so on…All of these guys care about me and my well-being more than my own father.

Then let's not forget the _best_ one, the one I can count on more than any other. Luke. How many times have I wished that he was my _real_ dad? Or even just be able to tell him that I think of him like that. Would he get upset or would he be happy about it? I know he loves me, that's not the problem. It's the label. It might serve to hurt him by making him think of a relationship with Mom, and if she never returns those feelings it would crush him. 'Cause let's be honest, he _loves_her.

But he doesn't use me as a way to get to her – unlike somebody _else_ I know. He cares about me for _me_. Even if Mom were to marry Dad (ewww), he would still be there to look out for me.

I wonder if I made a mistake last fall when I told Mom that she couldn't think of Luke that way. Not only do they both deserve to be happy but also it was pretty selfish of me to make Mom put her own wishes away because of my fears. Granted, she only brought it up that one time, but maybe I was too adamant about it and she didn't feel like she could go there again.

I think I need to find out how seriously she meant the question to be. If it was just a passing thought, then I'll let it go. But if it was something more I'll have to let her know somehow that I'd be happy about it. Especially when it could lead to a full family picture, 'Dad' included. 'Cause that's who Luke would be...no doubt in my mind. Mr. Sperm Donor can have another title, like 'S.D.' or 'Father' or maybe just Chris.

I wonder…if Mom had married him back when she was pregnant, would he still be bothering us now? I know they wouldn't still be together. Mom would have tried as hard as possible to make it work, but then he would just go off and leave us the minutes things got too intense, like during labor.

'We're not too young now'? What the hell does he mean by that? Aghh, he's _still_trying to talk her into marrying him! If she didn't respond favorably ten minutes ago, what makes him think that trying to charm her into it after fighting would work? Possibly his only chance would have been to get her completely smashed and drag her to a Justice of the Peace. Oops, let's not give him any ideas.

He let her take all the heat last night when he _knew_ that what they were bragging about was false? I can't believe it's _possible_for him to sink any lower. I just want to throw him out now.

But for some reason, Mom still cares about him. So I'll just have to suck it up and be nice to him. As for him having another kid, that's a shudder-worthy thought if I ever heard one. That poor kid. To have to suffer with having _him_as a dad.

'He misses me', that's a laugh! If Mom were gone on vacation or something, he'd have never stayed here this long.

Ohh, thank goodness. She really does sound like she's over him.

So her affection for him must be something else, possibly because of me. I have to let her know that sharing his DNA isn't a good enough reason to keep cutting him so much slack. I get it that she loves me and since he is a part of me that means she sort of loves him too. But to keep letting him get away with treating us like crap, that won't make things better.

Wow! She's saying she's 'off-limits'? What the heck happened here? She's _always_turned him down, but she's usually been much nicer about it. And to threaten him with those kinds of restrictions means that she is absolutely sure she'll never change her mind about getting back together with him.

_Yay, Mom! _Now maybe she can focus on finding the right guy. Or has she already? Mr. Medina…? I didn't think she liked him all _that_much, but maybe there was more than I noticed.

_Great, Dad_…just take off again when you don't get what you want from Mom. Don't worry about your _daughter_or her feelings. Just make sure you think of only yourself.

At least when I go to college, it's unlikely he'd just show up to see me. I'll miss Mom, but that sounds like it would be a pretty good bonus, knowing that he won't use my absence to get back with her.

Well, let's go say goodbye and then find out why Mom's attitude towards him has shifted so much.

* * *

A/N: Next…The girls have a heart to heart.


	6. Chapter 6: The Talk, Part I Gilmores

**Chapter 6: The Talk, Part I (Lorelai & Rory)**

Recap: We learn Rory's reaction to Chris and Lorelai's great 'let's get married' fight and FINALLY, FINALLY the shmuck leaves! Happy dance! We've seen what Rory's feelings really are and now we'll see what the girls say to each other.

Disclaimer: The Gilmore Girls characters belong to WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission. Conversations taken or paraphrased from 1.15 _'Christopher Returns'_.

* * *

Lorelai and Rory watched Christopher take off on his motorcycle. Rory decided to play devil's advocate and see how her mom would spin his abandonment this time.

"He wanted you to marry him, didn't he?" she asked neutrally.

"Spy," Lorelai pouted, hoping she didn't hear everything.

Rory pretended, "You know, crazier things have happened." Then she came up with one, _**'Like Taylor kissing Miss Patty, eww.' **_

"Crazier than having your mom and dad married?" she shot back, considering that maybe Kirk keep _one_job for a year might come close.

"Yes," she stated simply.

Lorelai shook her head, "I don't think they have."

"What? Why is that so crazy?" She wondered how far she should go with this stance.

"Because it is. He wants things he is not ready for," she explained, leaving out that Rory was more mature than he was.

"How do you know?" she pushed again, thinking, _**'Will she **_**ever**_** say anything negative about him to my face?' **_

"I know him so well, you have no idea," she answered, knowing that it was easy to know someone when they've been the same for over 16 years.

"Maybe he can change," Rory relentlessly hammered on, putting that possibility right up there with Babette hating gnomes and cats.

"Rory..." she begged, not having the strength to keep her thoughts to herself much longer.

"Maybe it's different. He did come here this time. He's never done that before," she probed viciously, baiting her into revealing her true thoughts about the guy.

Lorelai snapped, "Hey, stop!"

"Why?" she insisted.

"Because I don't want you getting yourself all worked up over this," she pleaded with her daughter to let it go.

"He loves you." She winced at the definition of his love.

"He _does_love me," she confirmed, but knowing it wasn't a grownup love like Luke's.

"Do you love him?" Rory pressed on, hoping she'd let something slip.

"Honey, come on..." she squirmed. She couldn't think of a way to say that the guy was an ass, but he did do something good in giving her Rory.

She cut her off forcefully, "Answer me."

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

Lorelai sighed, "I will probably always love him." She hoped that would be enough.

But it wasn't. "Okay, so?" Rory couldn't tell from that statement, it was too vague.

"But that doesn't change the fact that he still has a long way to go before he is ready to take on a family full-time. It just wasn't the right time, babe. You just have to trust me on that."

"What made this visit different? You've given in before. Okay, not to the marriage thing, but the together thing," she pursued, wondering the big question.

"Yes, and each time he leaves and breaks our hearts. When he came back this time, I took time to honestly look at our past and what it means. While I don't regret anything that happened, especially you, it doesn't blind me to the fact that we were not right for each other." She took a deep breath. "Things are different now, I'm different now. I want a man I can trust, rely on to care for us and not just when it's convenient for him. He isn't and may never be that guy," Lorelai explained, thinking this was a good way to segue into the Luke talk.

"Is there a 'that guy' now or are you talking hypothetically?" Now genuinely curious. 'Wait, could it be…?'

Lorelai gave her a shy smile. "Well, not officially, but there is a strong candidate." It was all she could do not to beg her to approve.

Rory had a sudden realization and smirked, "Would he happen to serve the world's _best_ coffee?" she teased, adding silently, _**'The man you had to RUSH home for last night?' **_

She rolled her eyes at her daughter's obvious enjoyment and hoped it was a good sign. "Yes, Miss Smartypants. Last night while we were painting, we had an honest-to-goodness talk, not just banter or flirting, but an actual, real conversation about _personal_things. While we were talking, it came to me. He is one of the most important people in my life and not just as a coffee and food supplier or a fix-it guy. I know that you had misgivings about it before, but I would really like to have a chance with him, okay?" she pleaded as hard as she could while still standing.

She quickly reassured her, "Mom, if you're really serious about it…_him_…whatever, then I support you 100%. The reason I said 'no' before was because I thought you were going to treat him like any other guy."

Lorelai got a hurt expression at that. "_ 'Any other guy?' _You mean I treat guys _that_badly?"

Rory backpedaled fast, "No. It's not that crucial to us – you and me – if you date and break up with someone else, _even_ Mr. Medina. But if that happened with Luke, it would be hard on all _three _of us."

She slung her arm over Rory's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "Well, kiddo, I can't give you any money-back guarantees, but I can tell you…at least from my standpoint, that our 'relationship' has already passed several key milestones and stumbling blocks. I suppose it's because we've been friends for so long." Then she remembered her earlier concern, _**'As long as this last thing doesn't send him running like all the others.' **_

"So, if Luke proposed…" she tested her mom.

"Can you say, 'Jumping the gun'?" she cut her off, not wanting to let herself imagine it.

"But it _would_be a consideration down the line?" she pressed, wanting to hear the answer.

Lorelai gave her a dreamy smile and admitted, "A pretty good one." She cursed her daughter for doing that to her when she didn't know how things would end up today after she talked to Luke.

They squealed and hugged each other.

"Okay, let's get going, he's expecting us for breakfast." Lorelai linked her arm in Rory's and started towards _Luke's_, practically skipping.

"Are you sure you want me to go, 'cause if you two want some time _alone_ to talk…" she offered, thinking, _**'Oh yeah, that's got to be fun, a first date with your daughter. Although, my first date was with my mom. We ARE abnormally close! A couple of freaks, that's us.' **_

"Nah, I'm sure he'd like some reassurance from you that _you're_okay with this," she answered, sending her the silent message that she could leave right after they finished eating though.

Rory smiled and started walking. "Okay, let's go. Hey! Does this mean we'll start getting free coffee and pie?" she asked with an evil grin.

Lorelai laughed, "There's my practical, miserly Scrooge. We'll see what I can arrange." Then she wondered. _**'Extra kisses for extra pancakes? Does that make me a hooker?' **_

* * *

They walked into _Luke's_and sat at the counter. He stepped out from the storage room with some supplies. When he noticed them he smiled widely. "Head upstairs, I'll be there in a few minutes with our food," he told them, grateful that it wasn't a paint-induced fantasy.

Rory & Lorelai raised their eyebrows at the thought of a _private_meal. "Okay…" They walked up to the apartment.

When they opened the door and saw what he had done, Lorelai turned to Rory with a pleased smile and boasted, "He set the table for all three of us. See, I _told_you, he wanted you here."

"Yeah, yeah, you're _sooo_ smart," she answered her with a hug, already running it over in her mind, **' 'Hi, this is my dad, Luke. Dad, this is…' **_**Yep, sounds good to me.' **_

* * *

A/N: Next…Luke and Lorelai's turn to talk.


	7. Chapter 7: The Talk, Part II JavaJunkies

**Chapter 7: The Talk, Part II (Luke & Lorelai)**

Recap: The Gilmore Girls have talked about the schmuck and more happily, _Luke_. Now they are waiting to talk to Luke in his apartment over breakfast.

Disclaimer: The Gilmore Girls characters belong to WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission. Conversations taken or paraphrased from 1.15 _'Christopher Returns'_.

* * *

Luke came up a few minutes later with their food and coffee. As they ate, they talked about his and Lorelai's relationship and how they all felt about it. When they were finished, Rory excused herself and said that she'd see them later. She hugged her mom and then surprised Luke by hugging him too. "I'm glad that you two are doing this," she announced plainly.

After she left, they moved to the couch so they could talk more intimately. Lorelai cringed at what she had to tell him. "Well, now that she's gone, I think there's another thing you and I need to talk about right away."

He looked at her nervously but encouraged her to continue. "Okay…" He wondered what could have her so bothered. His insecurities flared and he was afraid that something happened between her and Christopher when she got home.

She knew she couldn't put it off anymore so she took a deep breath and started, "See, Christopher was my 'first' and we took precautions. I mean _more_ than one kind of precaution, but still…" she paused before continuing, "Anyway, after that, I made the decision that _until _I was ready for another kid that I wouldn't…you know." She hung her head in shame for not telling him before but couldn't figure out how to say it without being blunt.

Luke was…'shocked' was a massive understatement. "Really? You mean that for the past 16 years…? Not at _all_?" He felt like he fell into an alternate universe. _**'Wow, this is crazy! She's **_**Lorelai, **_**one of the sexiest women I know. The thought that she's only been with one guy - years ago - seems unbelievable.' **_

"_Seventeen _years," she corrected, "but yeah, not once." But she admitted that she had her moments when she faltered a bit. Then she remembered why and caught herself.

He sputtered, "But all of those guys that you dated…" Now he thought he knew why those guys didn't last very long.

She shrugged, "We had _some_ fun, but not that much. In fact, that's usually why they didn't stick around that long. Not that I'm blaming them…" she quickly added, "or would blame you if you changed _your _mind! But I've thought a lot about this and feel very strongly about it. It's important to me that you know that."

She looked at him shyly and continued, "So if you've changed your mind, there's no hard feelings. We'll just go back to what we were yesterday."

He still couldn't quite wrap his mind around this. "Wow, that's incredible! Not that I thought you were _easy_or anything, but I guess I figured anybody who was as sexy as you and able to keep up with Miss Patty and Babette had to have the experience to back it up," he rambled, wondering what 'some fun' meant and just how much of a clean slate she had.

Lorelai admitted sheepishly, "Ah, the joys of TV and movies. What I didn't know from personal experience, I learned secondhand." She bit her lip and asked uncertainly, "So…?" pleading quietly for him to be okay with it.

He nodded slowly. "Not to sound like a horny teenager, but you may have to remind me of that a few times." Then he went on adamantly, "But I want you to understand this: I want you, _all _of you, not just your body. If that means we have to wait, then that's what we'll do. Just let me know what the boundaries are," he suggested, hoping that it would let him know how far she'd gone with other guys.

She burst into a mega-watt smile, cheering to herself, _**'I can't believe it! He's still in this! Of course, I guess it really isn't all **_**that**_** surprising. This is Luke after all. The world's greatest guy. If **_**anyone**_** is going to be understanding it would be him.' **_

"Well, for starters…" she leaned in suggestively, "…kissing is _always _acceptable."

He smiled back at her. "Good to know…" He leaned in and kissed her over and over. He was actually starting to think that this was amazing. 'Cause he knew that _when_ they reached that step, it was better than a declaration of love since it meant _more_ to her.

* * *

A/N: I get that this is _sooo _AU, but it's my story. Deal.

A/N2: Next…Sappy ending.


	8. Epilogue

Top of Form

**Epilogue**

Recap: Lorelai's deep secret is out and Luke is okay, if not thrilled, with it. Time for the fluffy ending. Short and quick.

Disclaimer: The Gilmore Girls characters belong to WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

* * *

Six months later, they were standing in a hotel room, kissing and _basically _getting more and more passionate.

Lorelai pulled back breathlessly, "I can't believe that we made it!" She mentally counted all of _her_ cold showers and knew that he had probably taken just as many, if not _more_.

She praised all the powers she could think of for the wonderful man that loved her. "Thank you for being patient with me. I love you so much Luke. What did I do to deserve someone as great as you?" she asked him with her heart in her eyes.

Luke answered, just as out of breath, "You said you loved me. And for the record, I'm the fortunate one to get you. But thank you for not wanting a _long _engagement! I've forgotten what a hot shower feels like," he laughed.

He was so excited to be a family with his two favorite people. He never believed that it could happen, especially not with _them_. And he knew that Lorelai wasn't against the idea of more children in the future. Although, both of them hoped it wouldn't happen _too _soon.

"Just please...no details to Miss Patty or Babette!" he pleaded as he drew her close again, pulling her to the bed.

Then scene pulled back to show the door to their Honeymoon Suite closing.

* * *

A/N: That's it folks, hope the ending wasn't too sappy. To be honest, beyond smoochies, I'm not good at the sex stuff. I'd much rather _imply_ it.


End file.
